The preparation of 4-(4-methylpiperazin-1-ylmethyl)-N-[4-methyl-3-(4-(pyridin-3-yl)pyrimidin-2-ylamino)phenyl]-benzamide, also known as Imatinib, and its use, especially as an anti -tumour agent, are described in EP-A-0 564 409, which was published on 6 Oct. 1993, and in equivalent applications in numerous other countries. The compound is exemplified in these publications only in free form (not as a salt).
4-(4-Methylpiperazin-1-ylmethyl)-N-[4-methyl-3-(4-(pyridin-3-yl)pyrimidin-2-ylamino)phenyl]-benzamide mesylate, also known as Imatinib mesylate or STI571, the alpha and the beta crystal form thereof, as well as its pharmaceutical use are described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,894,051. Imatinib mesylate is the active ingredient of the drug Gleevec® (Glivec®) which is an approved medicament for the treatment of Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML) and gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST). Another polymorph of Imatinib mesylate, the so-called H1-form, is described in WO2004/106326.
It has now been surprisingly found that under certain conditions new crystal forms of the methanesulfonate salt may be found, which are described hereinafter as δ-crystal form and ε-crystal form, and which have advantageous utilities and properties.